Category: Leadership

The American Institute of Architects is an organization with a strong focus on architecture. This is an organization that is there for those who are involved in the world of architecture, and it is an organization that does much work to better the world in that regard. The American Institute of Architects was founded in 1857 by a group of individuals who had a similar interest in architecture. This group of architects wanted to help perfect their members, and that is why they started the group. They wanted to help architects be perfect in the work that they completed, and the group that they formed is still going strong.

There are many honors and awards that are given out by the American Institute of Architects, and these honors and awards do much to change the lives of those who receive them. Those who are recognized by this group feel good about the work that they are doing and all that they are accomplishing, and they can use the recognition that they have received to help them in getting work. The American Institute of Architects gives out the Associate’s Award, the Young Architects Award, the Edward C. Kemper Award, and much more. They have a variety of honors and awards that they share with those who are doing well in the world of architecture.

The American Institute of Architects has members in a variety of levels. Those who join up with the organization will be labeled as Architect Members, Associate Members, International Associate Members, Emeritus Members, or Allied Members. Those who are a part of the organization have the chance to learn through it and to grow in all that they are. The American Institute of Architects does much to influence the government and various policies by standing up for architects everywhere. This organization is made up of a group of people who have passions that are similar to one another. This group of people has come together with the goal of helping architecture in America be all that it is meant to be. The American Institute of Architects does much work.https://washington.org/meetings/find-dc-listings/american-institute-architects

George Soros is one of the most impressive investors that the United States has ever seen and he is completely a self made businessman. Soros was born and raised in Hungary before he was forced to flee his home country during the Nazi occupation. Soros would move to London where he would work his way through school, studying at the London School of Economics while moonlighting as a porter and a waiter. After earning his degree Soros would set sail to America where he would eventually start the Soros Hedge Fund and become one of the most prolific businessmen that the United States has ever seen. Due to his progressive nature and his willingness to back progressive causes, he has become one of the greatest opponents to the modern day right wing — and that hit a fever pitch during the 2016 presidential election. Learn more about his profile at businessinsider.com.

The presidential election of 2016 in the United States is going to be scrutinized for generations to come. The rise of Donald Trump and his dangerous brand of vitriolic populism is something that the country won’t ever forget and will hopefully choose to learn from. Still, Trump’s rise and legacy will have to include his inspiration to get George Soros back into the political fray. Soros has never been afraid to invest in politics, especially when he fiercely believes in the cause, but he mostly wants to keep money away from the political machine. Still, as Soros’ adviser Michael Vachon would say, the stakes were simply too high. Donald Trump was more than a political threat, he was an existential threat and Soros had to respond in kind.

So, George Soros leaped back into the fray in order to start backing some of the bigger progressive causes in the political game. Soros would end up giving $25 million to pro-progressive PACs up and down the ticket. He would support End Citizens United, a special PAC focused on campaign finance reform, as well as a slew of other PACs including: immigrant voter rights, opposition research for the DNC, the DNC itself, and Pro-Clinton PACs. Soros has never been afraid to put money down when he believes in a cause and the $25 million he set into place probably wouldn’t even be noticed from his bank account. Read more at The New York Times about George.

Most people are probably aware of George Soros for his 2004 run as a backer alongside then Presidential nominee Al Gore. At the time Soros was one of the biggest political donors in the country, giving a record breaking $30 million to help Gore try and get elected. Now Soros seems more content to watch from the sidelines, pushing his weight and power toward concepts that he believes strongly in — such as preventing Donald Trump from installing his populist agenda.

Most people know George Soros as one of the most successful investors in the history of the U.S. financial markets where he has built one of the most respected hedge fund management companies in the world with more than $30 billion in assets currently being managed. Forbes explains the early life of George Soros sets him apart from many other Wall Street billionaires as Soros was stranded in Hungary during World War II under the occupation of Nazi Forces who Soros was forced to hide his Jewish faith from with a new identity; a refugee journey to London after the War ended and paying his way through the London School of Economics as a waiter and porter have also given Soros a real world view of how the world truly is for those living on the farthest margins of society. Read this story at Politico.com about George Soros.

Living a difficult life as a young person has had a great effect on George Soros as once his own financial future was secure in the 1970s following the establishment of Soros Fund Management in 1969 decided to use some of his wealth to assist others in the world. The Open Society Foundations was founded by Soros in 1984 and reports the billionaire has given an estimated $12 billion in funding to the Foundations and a number of other independent groups who reflect his own left leaning ideology. A major influence on the life and career of George Soros has been the work of philosopher Karl Popper who he studied under at the London School of Economics; Popper’s book “The Open Society and It’s Enemies” has been a major influence on the philanthropic and political work of George Soros that includes the revelation that no political ideology has the right to be called the ultimate protector of truth. Learn more about his profile at Forbes.com

Soros has taken the work of Popper on the open society and allowed it to become such a major part of his life that he even named The Open Society Foundations charitable network after the philosophical ideals of his former mentor. The right to basic human rights takes many forms in the view of George Soros, including the right to make personal choices on political ideology and education that are often taken away from millions of people trapped in what are often termed closed societies. Soros himself fought to help topple many governments in the former Soviet Eastern Bloc, including a number of educational programs dedicated to helping those who know little about the democratic process. Soros believes access to healthcare and the best possible medical treatments should always be available that has seen him become one of the first and leading backers of the push to legalize medical marijuana across the U.S.

Thor Halvorssen, president of the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), is not your typical political activist. He doesn’t lean to the left or the right. His cause is a simple one; fighting for human rights around the world. Because of his non-political stand he has critics and enemies from both sides of the political spectrum.

Liberals view Halvorssen as suspect because he once accepted donations from the conservative Bradley Foundation and he does not spend time decrying the injustices that are going on in America. He spends his efforts taking on real dictators like Hugo Chavez and Kim Jong Un.

By the same token, conservatives tend to view him as just another liberal do-goodnick hell bent on destroying capitalism. As usual, the truth is somewhere in between.

That is a lofty goal for the New York-based foundation but Halvorssen comes from a long line of political activists. His father worked for the Venezuelan government and was imprisoned and tortured for exposing government corruption. Time.com mentions that his mother was shot while attending a demonstration against Hugo Chavez, the Venezuela strongman.

The Human Rights Foundation was launched in 2005 and holds an annual human rights conference called the Oslo Freedom Forum. Help at the same hotel where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded, the conference has become the can’t miss event for human rights activists.

Thor Halvorssen has a tough road ahead of him but he and HRF are fighting to make the entire world a better place.